At the 11th International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale of Architecture in 2008, Dutch design collective Droog, in collaboration with communication agency KesselsKramer, presented S1NGLETOWN — an installation that transformed a section of the exhibition into a fictional town designed entirely for singles. Curated within the broader Biennale framework led by Aaron Betsky, the project responded to shifting social realities in which a growing number of people live alone, redefining domestic space, urban relationships, and personal identity.

S1NGLETOWN was conceived as both a conceptual urban plan and a walk-through narrative environment. Visitors entered a stylised “town” populated by fictional single citizens, each representing a distinct lifestyle: from globally mobile professionals to independent urban dwellers seeking moments of connection. Rather than presenting architecture as a static building form, the installation explored how design can reflect emotional needs, habits, and rituals of solitary living. Streets, interiors, and display settings formed a theatrical yet research-driven landscape in which objects functioned as social commentary.

Throughout the installation, a series of experimental and often humorous designs addressed themes such as independence, intimacy, mobility, and personal space. Among them were the Jacket for Lonely People, a Velcro-covered garment encouraging spontaneous human contact; the Placemat Paperback, which transformed solitary meals into literary moments; the Instant Balcony, extending a private apartment outward into the city; the Shared Fence, subtly promoting neighborly exchange; the transformable Simpledoublebeux Bed for flexible living arrangements; the compact and mobile Casulo furniture system designed for frequent relocation; the inflatable protective Life Dress offering a wearable sense of personal space; the Sky High Table with integrated headrest for impromptu rest; and the energy-conscious Cosy Chair, providing localized warmth without heating an entire room.

More than an exhibition of products, S1NGLETOWN functioned as a speculative social laboratory. It proposed that architecture and design must adapt not only to density and sustainability, but also to evolving patterns of independence and connection. By imagining an entire town shaped around the realities of living alone, Droog invited visitors to reconsider how cities might accommodate individuality while still fostering community, suggesting that even in a world of singles, design can create meaningful forms of togetherness.